That correct, Mines just did that out of nowhere, I couldnt find the proper video to guide me so I took a stab at it without touching or unhousing the planer.
Pull the cover.....Make sure all the links in the chain are free of any compacted sawdust......I spent a couple hours going around and round with a small stainless steel brush cleaning caked sawdust out of the links.....Lube the posts with Silicone spray...NOT WD-40......WD-40 will attract dirt and cake up....Crank it to the highest position while lubing the posts as you go.......If it's still stiff you will need to turn the machine over and adjust the post by loosening the screw then turn the machine right side up and make sure the body sits flat at each corner......use some Blue Loctite on the post screw if everything is level......check the other post screws and Loctite them.....Hope this helps....
I’m playing this game now. The entire chain path was clogged up and around each corner gear was compacted junk. Broken tension gear. I’ve demolished the machine and removed all 4 main screw posts, thus fully separating the upper from the lower. Three of the 4 corner spindles are not happy, they feel ‘snickety’. I’m not sure how to disassemble the spindles. Since I’ve made it this far I’d certainly like to strip them down and replace whatever bearings are in there. There is, of course, a ‘master’ spindle and three ‘slave’ spindles that the chain drives. How does the master differ from the other three, I’m assuming it’s got some form of worm gear inside it? Parts diagrams aren’t even nearly high enough resolution to give me any idea. Anyone’s advice gladly accepted.
@@3dg323dg3 I ordered a new tensioner gear and it didn’t fit. I gave up at that point. I’ve got an old Shop Smith that’s older than I am that’s still chugging along. Very little maintenance needed and a simple design. Now I don’t need the planed board to be 100% dead even (even if the DeWalt) could do that with the over engineered worm screws of death but the Shop Smith works great for me. Please if you get it going let us know about it.
Once the planer starts getting build up from saw dust the chain begins to skip teeth on one of the post sprockets that starts to get the planner slightly out of level making it stiffer to turn so then the chain skips more to make the problem worse, clean and lube the whole assembly then level the unit by running it all the way down to the board slide table, reassemble the chain and tighten, this is what fixed mine
@@edratliff In reply it took me a full day to figure this problem out. Provided your problem is the same as mine. As I understand you have only the front left post that is spinning and it should not be. Remove the planer from the stand to access the the tightening screw at the underside for that post. That should keep it from spinning. Strip the planer of all its top covers as you did when you cleaned it. You then will have access to all the chain path and it's tension take up mechanism at the front of the planer. Loosen the chain so that it drops out of place. Here is the tricky part. Look under the covered part of the post you just tightened and you will see a large retention collar with two small Allen head cap screws. The purpose of this collar is to retain a backlash tension spring. The tension setting for these springs is intended to protect against any backlash of the cutter head while in turn letting the height adjustment crank work smoothly. This spring can be very tight which in turn makes the chain cog above be very stiff or not turn in concert with the others at all. Try if you can to loosen those two cap screws. They were treated with blue lock tight at the factory so it will initially be a challenge to get them to turn. The cap screws are a right hand thread. You will have to remove those cap screws in order to turn the retention collar. Doing so you will have to find where they screw back in along with the "sweet spot" of the retention spring. As you remove the cap screws, so will the collar spring loosen they are holding by turning the the retention collar. (The collar also is a right hand thread.) By turning this collar you effectively loosen the cog above. Magic! After removing the cap screws, turn collar and feel the cog above with your hand to see if you feel any difference in resistance. If your with me so far the real frustration begins. So you may say you want to check the others while your at it. Go ahead at your own peril because just looking at the engineering of this planer you understand those chain cogs HAVE to be in concert with each other going up and down the screw posts. They provide for the knives and feed rollers to be absolutely parallel with the planer bed. This is where it took me all day to get right. I loosened all my spring collars and got them so that they would 1) make easy to crank, 2) hold enough tensioned so the knives wouldn't backlash. 3) that all four corners were raising and lowering uniformly for a flat feed and surface results. All the while trying to get all four corners to be at the same level and the stupid chain not to bind around the cog's. ( I'd rather try to solve Rubik's Cube than do this again) Should you attempt these adjustments I truly believe you'll have many "A-HA"! moments as you discover what it is you are trying to accomplish. Good luck, and God speed my brother!
@@campion05 wiw campion that’s a detailed tutorial. I’ll try what I can. Where I’m stuck now is that toothed wheel that the chain is tensioned by has a broken tooth. It made of plastic and all the hard turning before I found out for sure it’s fouled up broke it. I ordered one from Amazon and it’s a different size. I gave up as I needed to move on. I’ll have to try again and find the right right sprocket and put it in.
On 2/1/2024 I bought mine brand new. On 2/2/2024 I exchanged for a new one. Same issue, but it was back left pole. Stuck at 2 on vertical depth tape, and getting it to six was a full body work out. 😂
you need to loctite blue the 6mm hex screw underneath the base holding the post in place (after every post has been leveled)
That correct, Mines just did that out of nowhere, I couldnt find the proper video to guide me so I took a stab at it without touching or unhousing the planer.
Pull the cover.....Make sure all the links in the chain are free of any compacted sawdust......I spent a couple hours going around and round with a small stainless steel brush cleaning caked sawdust out of the links.....Lube the posts with Silicone spray...NOT WD-40......WD-40 will attract dirt and cake up....Crank it to the highest position while lubing the posts as you go.......If it's still stiff you will need to turn the machine over and adjust the post by loosening the screw then turn the machine right side up and make sure the body sits flat at each corner......use some Blue Loctite on the post screw if everything is level......check the other post screws and Loctite them.....Hope this helps....
I’m playing this game now.
The entire chain path was clogged up and around each corner gear was compacted junk.
Broken tension gear.
I’ve demolished the machine and removed all 4 main screw posts, thus fully separating the upper from the lower. Three of the 4 corner spindles are not happy, they feel ‘snickety’. I’m not sure how to disassemble the spindles. Since I’ve made it this far I’d certainly like to strip them down and replace whatever bearings are in there. There is, of course, a ‘master’ spindle and three ‘slave’ spindles that the chain drives. How does the master differ from the other three, I’m assuming it’s got some form of worm gear inside it?
Parts diagrams aren’t even nearly high enough resolution to give me any idea.
Anyone’s advice gladly accepted.
@@3dg323dg3 I ordered a new tensioner gear and it didn’t fit. I gave up at that point. I’ve got an old Shop Smith that’s older than I am that’s still chugging along. Very little maintenance needed and a simple design. Now I don’t need the planed board to be 100% dead even (even if the DeWalt) could do that with the over engineered worm screws of death but the Shop Smith works great for me.
Please if you get it going let us know about it.
Once the planer starts getting build up from saw dust the chain begins to skip teeth on one of the post sprockets that starts to get the planner slightly out of level making it stiffer to turn so then the chain skips more to make the problem worse, clean and lube the whole assembly then level the unit by running it all the way down to the board slide table, reassemble the chain and tighten, this is what fixed mine
Mine too. All gears are tough to turn. I'm working on it now. It's a SOB. I'll update if I get it done.
I appreciate it!! I gave up and used a much older one that still worked after decades of more use. Go figure.
@@edratliff In reply it took me a full day to figure this problem out. Provided your problem is the same as mine. As I understand you have only the front left post that is spinning and it should not be. Remove the planer from the stand to access the the tightening screw at the underside for that post. That should keep it from spinning. Strip the planer of all its top covers as you did when you cleaned it. You then will have access to all the chain path and it's tension take up mechanism at the front of the planer. Loosen the chain so that it drops out of place. Here is the tricky part. Look under the covered part of the post you just tightened and you will see a large retention collar with two small Allen head cap screws. The purpose of this collar is to retain a backlash tension spring. The tension setting for these springs is intended to protect against any backlash of the cutter head while in turn letting the height adjustment crank work smoothly. This spring can be very tight which in turn makes the chain cog above be very stiff or not turn in concert with the others at all. Try if you can to loosen those two cap screws. They were treated with blue lock tight at the factory so it will initially be a challenge to get them to turn. The cap screws are a right hand thread. You will have to remove those cap screws in order to turn the retention collar. Doing so you will have to find where they screw back in along with the "sweet spot" of the retention spring. As you remove the cap screws, so will the collar spring loosen they are holding by turning the the retention collar. (The collar also is a right hand thread.) By turning this collar you effectively loosen the cog above. Magic! After removing the cap screws, turn collar and feel the cog above with your hand to see if you feel any difference in resistance.
If your with me so far the real frustration begins. So you may say you want to check the others while your at it. Go ahead at your own peril because just looking at the engineering of this planer you understand those chain cogs HAVE to be in concert with each other going up and down the screw posts. They provide for the knives and feed rollers to be absolutely parallel with the planer bed. This is where it took me all day to get right. I loosened all my spring collars and got them so that they would 1) make easy to crank, 2) hold enough tensioned so the knives wouldn't backlash. 3) that all four corners were raising and lowering uniformly for a flat feed and surface results. All the while trying to get all four corners to be at the same level and the stupid chain not to bind around the cog's. ( I'd rather try to solve Rubik's Cube than do this again)
Should you attempt these adjustments I truly believe you'll have many "A-HA"! moments as you discover what it is you are trying to accomplish. Good luck, and God speed my brother!
@@campion05 wiw campion that’s a detailed tutorial. I’ll try what I can. Where I’m stuck now is that toothed wheel that the chain is tensioned by has a broken tooth. It made of plastic and all the hard turning before I found out for sure it’s fouled up broke it. I ordered one from Amazon and it’s a different size. I gave up as I needed to move on. I’ll have to try again and find the right right sprocket and put it in.
On 2/1/2024 I bought mine brand new. On 2/2/2024 I exchanged for a new one. Same issue, but it was back left pole. Stuck at 2 on vertical depth tape, and getting it to six was a full body work out. 😂